File:Muskogee and northeastern Oklahoma, including the counties of Muskogee, McIntosh, Wagoner, Cherokee, Sequoyah, Adair, Delaware, Mayes, Rogers, Washington, Nowata, Craig, and Ottawa (1922) (14592914750).jpg

Identifier: muskogeenortheas00bene (find matches)
Title: Muskogee and northeastern Oklahoma, including the counties of Muskogee, McIntosh, Wagoner, Cherokee, Sequoyah, Adair, Delaware, Mayes, Rogers, Washington, Nowata, Craig, and Ottawa
Year: 1922 (1920s)
Authors: Benedict, John Downing, 1854-
Subjects:
Publisher: Chicago : S.J. Clarke Pub. Co.
Contributing Library: Harold B. Lee Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Brigham Young University

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e author of Home Sweet Home.About 1822 he visited the Cherokee Nation in Georgia at a timewhen the efforts of the state to get rid of the Indians were stirringup bitter feuds among the Indians. He criticized some of theproceedings which he witnessed and was thrown into jail on thecharge of encouraging an insurrection at Red Clay. RattlingGourd, a Cherokee chief, became so disconsolate over the treat-ment which his people were receiving from the whites that hecommitted suicide and was buried by a company of white soldiers,assisted by a Moravian missionary. Payne was permitted toattend the funeral and at the close of the ceremonies he sangHome Sweet Home. General Bishop, the commanding officercalled him to his tent and asked where he learned that song. Iwrote it myself, replied Payne. Where did you get the tune ?asked the general. I composed it, answered Payne. Will yougive me a copy of it? queried the general. Certainly, I will,said Payne, and he sat down and wrote the words and music.
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Vol. 1—13 MUSKOGEE AND NORTHEASTERN OKLAHOMA 195 After glancing it over for a few minutes, General Bishop said:Well, a man who can write and sing like that is no criminal. Iam going to set you free. During the next year Payne visited Europe where he sang him-self into fame by incorporating that grand old song into one ofhis theatrical plays, but it is claimed that it was sung for the firsttime at Rattling Gourds funeral down on the Cherokee Reserva-tion in Georgia. Mrs. M. J. Ross, wife of William P. Ross andniece of Chief John Ross, testified just before her death in 1918,that she was present at the funeral in Georgia when Payne sanghis world-famous song. SCOTCH CHEROKEES A local newspaper of thirty years ago gives the followingaccount of the mixture of Scotch and Indian blood among theCherokees: Cherokees come well by their stubbornness, their shrewdnessand their love of controversy. As Indians they possessed thesetraits to some extent to begin with, and as the result of a strongi

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